


Bandori D&D: A-Side

by instantradio, mocatastic1



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Based on a Dungeons & Dragons Game, F/F, LIME skin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24190270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/instantradio/pseuds/instantradio, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mocatastic1/pseuds/mocatastic1
Summary: Bandori D&D is back, but this time Aoba Moca is the Dungeon Master of a party full of Afterglow members and Lisa. Himari is using this game as a chance to get closer with her secret crush: Lisa. Will Lisa and Himari form a deep bond of friendship, or will it blossom into a fruitful tree of love?
Relationships: Imai Lisa/Uehara Himari
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a continuation of my previous fic, bandori D&D! No gameplay will happen this chapter, just character creation and the setup for the story. Thanks to instant radio, my gf, for doing the text parts!

“It’s not breadtime yet!”

Flinging off her covers, Moca nimbly leapt from her bed. Landing on both feet, she tip-toed over to her computer. There were multiple tabs opened, some in Japanese and some in English. A tattered Japanese-English dictionary sat closeby, it’s bindings begging for rest from Moca’s incessant searches. It would receive much needed rest tonight, however.

“Hmmm… Lisa-chan. Now that I’ve finished step one, you are the next step in this plan…” Moca whispered to herself, sending Lisa a text.

**moca**

Good evening, dearest Lisa-san~

**Lisa~**

No. I'm not taking your shift again. Roselia nearly imploded last time, I can't risk it!

**moca**

Aww, how cruel! Poor Moca-chan just has a favor to ask! Completely unrelated to work~

**Lisa~**

Oh! What is it?

**moca**

You see, I have this idea…

Moca and Lisa texted back and forth for a bit longer until Moca was satisfied with the outcome. Lisa had agreed! The next step was to convince Hii-chan, which wouldn’t be an easy task. Moca knew she had to get sympathy within the group in order for this plan to be a success, and who amongst Afterglow wouldn’t listen to dearest Hii-chan? Okay, maybe all of them. But gaining Hii-chan’s interest would be a start.

**moca**

Hii-chan! Hiiiii-chan!

**himari**

Moca! You never text me out of the blue like this~!

**moca**

Wanna have a fun party this weekend?

**himari**

YEAH I DO! :D

**moca**

This weekend, then. Come early. My parents are out on a business trip… I’m still not sure what exactly they do though. I’ll supply the buns :)

**himari**

Really? Moca? You never take the initiative on things like this! Okay, I’ll make sure everyone shows up! What should we bring?

**moca**

Oh you know, some drinks, buns, some food, a set of dice, some pillows, buns…

**himari**

You said buns twice, silly! And you’re already getting buns! I invited everyone, though!

**himari**

Wait, Dice???

**himari**

Moca???

**himari**

We aren’t gonna do that weird game Maya and Ako were doing last weekend, are we? You know Ran and Tsugumi aren’t going to want to do that :(

**moca**

Lisa will be there :)

**himari**

What?! But that doesn’t have to do with anything!

**moca**

Oh ho ho~ Dearest Moca-chan sees and knows all~

**himari**

You’re wrong!

**moca**

Those frequent stops by the store? Almost daily? I know you aren’t there to see me~

**himari**

That doesn’t mean anything!

**moca**

You even asked to see the store schedule, Hii-chan!

**himari**

That was just to… confirm your schedule! I wasn’t trying to see when Lisa-senpai was working or anything weird like that!

**moca**

Can you really not even trust your closest and dearest friend? What a sad day :(

**himari**

FINE. Okay. You win. But why should I go if you’re just gonna tease me like this?

**moca**

Because Moca is the Goddess of Love, Hii-chan! I’ll help bring you two together, seamlessly! You’ll get to interact with her, and form a much closer bond than stalking her at the store!

**himari**

:(

**moca**

I’m just kidding Hii-chan, it’s cute how you’re going about it!

**himari**

You must tell NO ONE.

**moca**

Your secret is safe with me~ :)

**himari**

I’m trusting you!!! How did you get Maya to be the leader thing, or whatever? Isn’t she already really busy?

**moca**

I’m gonna be the Dungeon Master~ and I promise I won’t tease you~

**himari**

You?? Are you sure you can do it? Oh you’ll definitely tease me, somehow :(

**moca**

Think of it this way! Quality time with your special someone :)

**himari**

STOP IT!!! :(

**moca**

When else will you get to nobly slay a dragon protecting her? She’ll get to see your true nature, and fall hopelessly in love with you, just as you all have fallen hopelessly in love with her! :)

**himari**

HJSDFJSH FINE

**moca**

Yaaaay~ Now, for your character, we should make it beforehand… let Tomoe know too, so I can help make hers. Ran and Tsugumi… we might have to drop this on them the day of so they’ll participate~

**himari**

You really are forcing this quite a bit… but if you’re helping me, I’ll help you!

Moca and Himari continued texting late into the night, making the necessary preparations. Moca wriggled with excitement, and had a difficult time sleeping after returning to her bed. She couldn’t stop thinking about how fun it would be to play this game with her friends. All those nights she worked to read and understand the game would definitely be worth it.

The next day, Himari, Lisa, and Tomoe met at Moca’s house to begin the laborious task of character creation. Moca concealed her smile about as much as Himari was concealing her nervousness: they were both failing. 

“Welcome to my humble abode!” Moca sang. “Ah ah ah! Hii-chan!! Where is the payment?”

“You have to pay?” Lisa smiled and sighed, knowing that this was just the beginning of Moca’s antics. 

“Ehh??” Himari gasped, looking around. She was too focused on trying to breathe normally to fully understand what Moca said. 

“Get outta the way, Moca, we’re coming in. It’s hot out!” Tomoe said with a friendly but serious grumble. 

“Just kidding!” Moca grinned. “Please come inside!” Moca led the three girls to the kitchen table, where there were many loose pieces of paper, pencils, pens, crayons, and a few strange looking books. 

“Oh, those must be the strange books Ako bought!” Tomoe grinned. “You were right, Himari! That is what we’re doing! Wicked!”

“I don’t know...” Lisa sighed. “I think she would have been better off buying a cute outfit. And that man on the front… ew.”

“Okay~” Moca loudly exclaimed, calling everyone to attention. “Let’s make some characters~”

“Wait wait wait, explain the game first!” Tomoe said rather loudly. “I don’t even know what my character is supposed to do!”

“Well... you fight stuff, and the dice tell you how well you do, and I tell you how well you actually do, and you try not to die! And then you get stronger…” Moca rambled. 

“Maybe it would be easier to just let her walk us through this...” Lisa sighed again. “Right, Hii-chan?”

“EHH?” Himari was dizzy with the thought of Lisa using that nickname. “Right!” She said, unsure of what she was even answering to. 

“It’s time for all of you to roll these dice a bunch!” Moca said, explaining the rolls. 

Himari’s Rolls:

15, 14, 14, 9, 5, 5, 14  
8, 7, 12, 13, 10, 12, 10

Tomoe’s Rolls:

14, 17, 12, 10, 10, 11, 7  
8, 9, 7, 12, 13, 7, 10

Lisa’s Rolls:

11, 14, 12, 9, 12, 14, 14  
12, 14, 10, 17, 12, 7, 13

“Now, you set up the sheet like this!” Moca explained. “Your seven best numbers go here~! Let’s start with Tomo-chin! Tomo-chin, you could be whatever you want! A fighter, a healer, whatever you want!”  
“Can I punch things?” Tomoe asked, holding up her fists. 

“You can punch Moca-chan whenever you want!” Moca grinned slyly. “You should be a fighter! Go ahead and draw a picture of what you want your character to look like! Use Colors!”

“Whaa??” Tomoe looked around the table, a bit confused. “Ako never mentioned anything about coloring?”

“Just do it!” Moca grinned and looked at Himari and Lisa. “Himari, you’re a bit limited with what you can do, but Lisa could also be just about anything~!”

“Can I be the cleric? That’s what I was in Neo Fantasy Online!” Lisa smiled.

Moca frowned. “Really? You’re just gonna do the same ol’ thing you're used to doing? How boring! Although...” Moca thought for a few moments. “Maybe both you and Hii-chan can be clerics! From the same church!” 

“Oh that would be wonderful!” Lisa grinned and turned to Himari, and grabbed her hands. “We can heal everyone together!” 

Despite being flustered, Himari was not about to let this chance go. She clasped Lisa’s hands in return. “We’ll! Make great! Clerics!” There was a bit of a stutter in her voice, however. 

“Okay, okay, enough touching!” Moca grinned. “Who will your god or goddess be? It can be anyone or anything, or you could choose something normal from this boring list.” Moca handed them a handwritten list with many strange names and descriptions. 

“Did you write all of this?” Himari gasped, amazed. Moca must have spent an extraordinary amount of time putting this list together. When did she even have the time to do this?

“Hmm, you don’t have much written about Myhriss, here.” Lisa said. “What’s she the goddess of?”

Moca squinted, eyeing Lisa very carefully before a sly smile creeped upon her face. “She is technically just a goddess of love, however… she is also the goddess of fashion and desire.” 

“Oh yas~! I definitely want to worship them! I would look so trendy, too!” Lisa excitedly began drawing her character with all sorts of fashionable items. 

“Hmmm, ya see...” Moca grinned. “This goddess is suuuuper special~! Instead of the main statistic being wisdom, the comeliness stat is most important!” Moca said, quickly scribbling down some notes while the others debated over what she was talking about. “Yes, yes, the prettier the better~! The goddess grants you more spells if you’re pretty! Now, each of you has to roll a very important number! Don’t mess it up.”

Social Class roll:  
Himari- 01  
Tomoe- 78  
Lisa- 92

“Hii-chan!!!” Moca frowned, fake tears coming to her eyes. “You really messed it up. How could you!”

“Whaa??” Himari said, also beginning to tear up. “I’m sorry!! What does it mean though?”

“Oh, your family is just really poor. Really really poor. Like, you probably don’t even have a house, or a mother, or a father, or anyone that really cares about you!”

“That’s horrible!” Himari cried. “Can’t I reroll it?”

“Mwahaha, I say no!” Moca grinned. “This will make your character more interesting! See, your character can be free from any sort of social obligations to your family if they just abandoned you~!”

“What do you mean? That sounds terrible! Can’t I just live a normal life?” Himari pleaded.

“Hmm, well, you should be the one figuring this out...” Moca looked thoughtfully to the ceiling, searching for her answer. “Maybe Myhriss takes pity on you and your horrible life because you are an adorable person, and the church of Myhriss takes care of you~! So then, naturally, you become a cleric of Myhriss!”

“That sounds… less terrible...” 

“And Lisa can be like your onee-chan!” Moca grinned, but seeing Himari begin to tear up, she quickly corrected herself. “Of course, sisters in name only!” Moca realized the dangerous hole she was digging herself into, and prayed that Tomoe would save her.

“You know, do I have to be a girl?” Tomoe asked. “I kind of feel like being a guy for this game. It might be fun! Punching bad guys, drinking beer. Guy stuff!”

“That’s GREAT Tomo-chin!” Moca breathed a sigh of relief. The idea was actually quite refreshing to Moca, as everyone in Maya’s campaign just played either themselves or Kaoru. “For your background, since you're a fighter with a pretty good social class, you gotta tell me how that happened! Maybe you were with the town guard, or your father was a fighter who taught you! Or maybe you paid to have a professional warrior teach you! You could do anything like that! Your parents were likely… ehhh… merchants or craftsmen or ex-adventurers!”

“Oi, sweet! I have an idea!” Tomoe said, beginning to scribble down notes about her character. 

“What about me?” Lisa asked. “I guess 92 is a really good number?”

“Oh Lisa-chi, you’re so smart!” Moca grinned. “But! It’s a little hard to justify being so high in society and being the cleric of a goddess like Myhriss. That’s a big non-non in upper class society, ya know!” 

Lisa eyed Moca with suspicion. “Why didn’t you say that in the first place? Maybe I would’ve chosen a different goddess. What else should I know about her?”

“Well...” Moca said slowly, trying to buy time while making up an entire religion. “Ya see, anyone can be a cleric of Myhriss as long as you’re pretty, even and especially a bunch of low-lifes like Hii-chan! And so upper class women don’t really care to associate with them...yeah that’s it! So you’ll just have to… explain why you’re there! Ahaha…maybe you’re the daughter of a very wealthy noble, but...”

“But what, Moca?” Lisa said, not liking the sound of where this was going. 

“You could be the illegitimate daughter of a noble! Also known as a bastard child! But he’s a doting noble that cares for his extraordinarily cute and fashionable daughter, so he gives you lots of money!” Moca explained, but Lisa crossed her arms and stared at Moca. “...lots and lots of money!”

“Mocaaa!” Lisa whined, not entirely happy. Tomoe could barely keep a straight face.

“Okaaaaay Okaaaay~!” Moca caved to Lisa’s demands. “You can be whatever you want!” Lisa looked thoughtfully at Moca for a solid minute, and then began writing her character background. After a half hour of scribbling, drawing, and banter, Moca began to look over each sheet and add the necessary elements for proper gameplay.

Himari of Eresilene ______________________________SC: 01  
Human AL: CG C1  
Str: 14(-1)__________HT: 5’6’’  
Int: 13 _____________WT: 140lbs  
Wis: 14 ____________Age: 17  
Dex: 12 ___________AC: 7  
Con: 12 ___________HP: 7/7  
Cha: 14 ___________XP:  
Com: 15(+1)

Weapons proficiencies: ___________________Cleric Spells: Cure Light Wounds (3)  
Short bow  
Mace

Non-weapons proficiencies:  
Animal Lore  
Plant Lore  
Survival: Cold

Character Description: Born on October 23rd, CE 560, Himari of Eresilene is a cleric of the Goddess Myhriss. She has pink hair and teal eyes, and only has vague recollections of her mother. Her mother was a very sweet and kind woman who provided for her daughter as much as she could, but because her no-good father was never around they had a particularly difficult life. Her mother--as far as she knew--was a beggar on the street, but somehow managed to always find something for Himari to eat. One day, her mother did not come back, so she wandered the streets for weeks until she found an immensely beautiful woman. This woman recognized Himari for her beauty and charm, and took her to a temple of Myhriss where she was welcomed and provided for. As she grew, she quickly learned the ways of Myhriss. Currently, she is seeking out love. She is willing to adventure every realm to find it, and eagerly awaits for the moment she finds her true love!

Tomoe of Rhamnos__________________________SC: 78  
Human AL: CG F1  
Str: 17(+1, +1)_________HT: 5’1’’  
Int: 11_________________WT: 120lbs  
Wis: 10 ________________Age: 21  
Dex: 12 _______________AC: 6  
Con: 14 _______________HP: 8/8  
Cha: 12________________XP:  
Com: 13

Weapons Proficiencies:  
Two-handed sword  
Longsword  
Longbow  
Dagger

Non-weapons Proficiencies:  
Riding  
Fire-building

Character Description: Born on April 15th, CE 555, Tomoe of Rhamnos is a Human fighter with short dark red hair and blue eyes. He grew up with a loving mother and father and four siblings. As the firstborn son, he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps of being a great warrior, and learned as much as he could about fighting. Tomoe also joined the local militia, and has helped defend the town on a few occasions. Tomoe hopes to make lots of money for his younger siblings by adventuring, and also help his parents retire. His mother is a blacksmith that helped forge weapons for her son and husband.

Lisa of Theodena___________________________SC: 92  
Human AL: CG C1  
Str: 14(-1) _________HT: 5’2’’  
Int: 14 _____________WT: 115lbs  
Wis: 14 ____________Age: 17  
Dex: 12 ____________AC: 6  
Con: 13 ____________HP: 7/7  
Cha: 14 ____________XP: 517  
Com: 17(+1)

Weapons Proficiencies:__________________________Cleric Spells: Cure light wounds (3)  
Short bow  
Mace

Non-weapons Proficiencies:  
Riding  
Animal Handling  
Animal Lore

Character Description: Born on August 25th, CE 560, Lisa of is a Cleric of Myhriss with long reddish-brown hair and green eyes. Despite being born of noble origins in Theodena, Lisa was disgusted with the behaviour of the upper classes. They had no compassion or love for people beneath them, and so she despised them. Lisa was full of love, and because of this she found a place where she could be herself amongst the women of Myhriss. After fleeing from her father’s estate with as many gems and jewels as she could carry, she managed to stow away on a boat and travel to Pylita, where there was a temple of Myhriss. With her overwhelming beauty, she was quickly accepted into the temple. Over the years, she received training as a cleric of Myhriss.

Moca looked over the newly made characters, awestruck. They were really good! She had to modify a few things here or there, as Lisa’s character wouldn’t really have killed her mother and father and six other nobles at such an early age and gotten away with it… but a little thievery wouldn’t be too amiss. Moca also couldn’t help but add a bit more onto the end of Himari’s, and she giggled gleefully at the thought. With these characters out of the way, there were only two characters left to make.

“These are all very good!” Moca cheered in a rather unenthusiastic way. “Yaaaay!”

“I’m super excited to see how this goes!” Tomoe grinned. “I can’t wait to tell Ako about it!”

“We’ll see how it goes, I guess...” Lisa said, but smiled a bit. “Will the great Moca-chan tell a great story? Or will she just trick us the whole time?”

“Hey hey hey!” Moca pouted. “I never trick anyone!” Tomoe and Lisa laughed.

Himari uncharacteristically only gave a nervous laugh. Truth be told, she never realized how cute Lisa’s laugh was until now. In fact, there were many things Himari didn’t actually know about Lisa that she had learned, and it made her flustered every time she learned something new. Thank god no one noticed…! she thought to herself.

“What’s your plan to get Tsugumi and Ran to play?” Tomoe smirked. “You know they won’t be very willing.”

“Actually...” Lisa grinned. “I think Tsugumi might be interested. Apparently Sayo’s told her a lot about it.” 

“I’ll text her, then,” Moca smiled slyly. “Whatever character Tsugu makes will definitely be Tsugurific!”

~~~~~~~

After a few days and just a bit of resistance, Tsugumi eventually agreed to visit Moca to make a character. It took a lot of convincing, and Moca even had to pull out her ace in the hole: helping Himari confess to her crush. Tsugumi was completely against it at first, but after Moca explained that the goal was to have them interact together and grow closer in a natural way, Tsugumi agreed to join. However, Moca was completely surprised when she opened the door and Tsugumi stepped to the side to reveal that Ran had also accompanied her. Ran did not look happy. Moca was going to drop the whole game idea onto Ran when she arrived on Saturday, forcing her into a social situation where she would have to stay and play. Clearly Tsugumi saw right through that plan...

“Oh!” Moca gasped. “Ran~! What a pleasant surprise!”

“Moca, what on earth are you planning?” Ran said in a firm but soft voice. 

“Aha~! Moca chan just wants a bit of fun!” Moca grinned.

“Now, now, Ran-chan!” Tsugumi smiled sweetly. “This is also partly for Himari, so we can do with some positivity! I’m sure this game will not only help Himari, but will be a learning experience for Afterglow, too!”

“I sure hope so...” Ran said, fighting back a smile. “How exactly will this help Himari, again?”

“I explained it already,” Tsugumi began, patient as always. “This will allow for Himari and Lisa to interact more naturally, because we’re all playing a fun game! I do hope it’s actually somewhat fun, though...”

“I don’t see how she can be so friendly with the enemy, but if that’s really what she wants...” Ran said quietly. “I guess I’ll participate.”

“Yaaay~!” Moca cheered. “Now come inside, and we’ll begin!”

Tsugumi’s Rolls:

10, 15, 12, 11, 11, 11, 13  
7, 10, 16, 8, 6, 10, 17

Ran’s Rolls:

15, 15, 11, 12, 10, 10, 15  
9, 11, 10, 10, 15, 12, 12

“Ah, Tsugu, Tsugurific as always!” Moca grinned. “With those rolls, you could make a very good Paladin character, but you can be whatever you want!”

“Aha... ” Tsugumi smiled politely. “But I don’t even know what any of that means, Moca-chan...”

“It’s okay~!” Moca cheered. “A Paladin is a type of fighter who fights for justice! They are kind to the weak, and firm defenders against evil. You do this through the help of a god or goddess, whom you love and adore… and then you give them all your money!”

“I mean, if you’re suggesting it, I suppose it will do?” Tsugumi continued to smile politely, but she was quite lost. 

“You aren’t making any sense.” Ran looked sternly at Moca. She was about to lecture her when she noticed that Tsugumi was trying very hard to figure things out, and instead sighed heavily. “What role should I play?”

“Oh that’s easy~!” Moca grinned. “You should be a thief, because you stole Moca-chan’s heart~!”

“That’s it. I’m out,” Ran said, standing up. 

“No, don’t leave, Ran-chan!” Tsugumi grabbed Ran’s hand. “Moca teases everyone, but she means well! I’m sure she was telling you the best option, even if there was a little joke thrown in as well…” Ran could feel herself beginning to blush.

“Fine, I’ll stay, but let me just get some drinks for us first...” Ran said quickly, turning and heading toward Moca’s kitchen. 

“Now, as for our dearest Tsugu,” Moca continued. “You gotta pick a god or goddess to worship! Here’s a little list with some descriptions, courtesy of your dearest Moca-chan!”

Tsugumi was amazed at the list, as there were quite a lot of names and some fairly lengthy descriptions. Everything was handwritten, too. Did Moca really work this hard? Isn’t the game normally in English?

“Wow, Moca-chan!” Tsugumi couldn’t help but be impressed. “This goddess seems nice! Lydia! She supports women and education. I kind of like that.”

“That’s great~!” Moca cheered. “Now just write some background information, and we can finish setting it up! Oh Raaan~” Moca called. 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m here. Here’s some drinks for everyone.” Ran said, setting some cups down. “Are you serious about me being a thief? They don’t sound very good.”

“You could be a fighter too, seeing as you're so good at killing all the joy~!” Moca said with a devilish smile. Upon seeing Tsugumi’s stern frown, Moca quickly changed her tune. “Ahaha, of course that’s a joke! A joke! Really Ran, if you just wanna play and be rather passive, be an ordinary fighter. Here, I’ll set it up for you~!”

After quite a bit of arguing and bickering between Ran and Moca, they had finally finished the character. Tsugumi had also finished hers after texting Maya a few questions.

Tsugumi of Pylita_____________________________________SC: 84  
Human AL: LG P1  
Str: 16 (+0, +1)_______HT: 5’8’’  
Int: 11________________WT: 140lbs  
Wis: 13 _______________Age: 26  
Dex: 11 ______________AC: 10  
Con: 15 ______________HP: 11/11  
Cha: 17 ______________XP:  
Com: 12(+2)

Weapons Proficiencies:  
Longsword  
Lance  
Longbow  
Dagger

Non-weapons Proficiencies:  
Riding  
Fire-building

Character Description: Born on January 7th, CE 550, Tsugumi of Pylita is a Paladin serving the Senate of Pylita. She has brown hair and eyes, and typically wears chainmail with a white cloak hemmed with silver. She was born of Lady Hisako and Sir Takaaki, both prominent members of the senate at one point in time and ex-fighters that served for the military. Tsugumi took a different route, however, in that she would fight for the senate as a Paladin of the goddess Lydia. Tsugumi highly valued knowledge and information, and her strength and charisma led her parents to believe that she would one day become a great leader and commander. It was a unanimous decision for her to undergo the training of a Paladin. She is seeking to spread Lydia’s influence to other regions around Pylita, gathering as much information as she can about both friends and foes. She typically has a lyre that she plays when she has a free moment. 

Ran of Pylita____________________________SC: 15  
Human AL: NG B/F1  
Str: 15 __________HT: 5’2’’  
Int: 12 __________WT: 130lbs  
Wis: 15 __________Age: 21  
Dex: 15 _________AC: 7  
Con: 12 _________HP: 10/10  
Cha: 15 __________XP:  
Com: 11(+1)

Weapons Proficiencies:  
Short sword  
Lucern Hammer  
Short bow  
Dagger

Non-weapons Proficiencies:  
Plant Lore  
Foraging

Character Description: Born on April 10th, CE 555, Ran of Pylita grew up on the streets in a very poor district in Pylita. She does not know what happened to her mother, but her father took care of her as best he could until his untimely death from a poorly treated ear infection. After many years fending for herself on the streets, a very pretty woman offered to take her in and train her to fight. This woman was Tsugumi, a Paladin of Pylita. Ran trained to become a fighter and page for Tsugumi. 

Moca was very happy with these characters. They should probably be able to make it through her first adventure, hopefully without any mishaps. She was confident that it would go well, especially since Maya had agreed to answer any questions she might have during the game. Now that the characters had been created, all that was left was to anxiously wait for the day of the party. Despite all her preparation, Moca was just a bit nervous. Himari was counting on her to help out with Lisa, so she was fiercely determined to overcome these feelings and give the best performance possible!


	2. Journey to Kalambaka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actual game play begins, and the characters begin to assume their roles as adventurers in the world of D&D! This is their adventure to Kalambaka!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait! Chapter 2 is done! All roles are real, etc. etc, I'm busy right now and gotta post this, might update these notes later! Thanks for reading!

Moca kept looking out of her window in giddy anticipation. Her audience would be here any minute now, but she knew she was fully prepared. Maya was awake and only a text message away in the event of any assistance that might be needed. Place mats were set around the table, water was available, the air temperature was comfortable, and her Dungeon Master’s screen easily concealed her part of the table. She checked this herself by sitting in each spot and acting out how some of her friends might play the characters.

“Oh, what big arms you have, Tomo-chin!” Moca said in a highly-exaggerated Himari-esque voice. She quickly switched seats.

“Can it, Himari. We’re trying to kill this wolf.” Moca grumbled in a low toned voice similar to Ran’s. At this point, there was a knock on the door. Moca bolted out of the chair.

“Hellooooo!” Moca opened the door, greeting the group. “Please come right in and sit down! You’re dearest Moca-chan has prepared things for you~!”

“Hi Moca!” Tsugumi smiled sweetly.

“Hello.” Ran said with an extreme amount of formality. 

“Come on Ran, lighten up! Or else my character is gonna kick your-- ouch!” Tomoe yelped as Himari elbowed her in the waist. 

“Don’t start the day fighting with Ran!” Himari whined. 

“Aha, it looks like you keep Afterglow in line pretty well, Hii-chan!” Lisa smiled, and Himari blushed, pushing her way inside without making eye contact. “I also have to keep my band in line, too.”

“Again, why are we fraternizing with the enemy? She’s in that dumb flower band.” Ran harshly whispered under her breath, but quickly bit her tongue when she met with Tsugumi’s glaring eyes. Despite Tsugumi’s smile, Ran could tell she would be in grave danger if she continued. 

“Welcome to my home~! Again!” Moca said, gesturing to the table where they had made their characters just a few days prior. “Have a seat, and we’ll get started! It’ll be a little awkward at first! Please give Moca-chan a chance~!” 

Everyone took their seats and placed their dice on the table. They looked expectantly at Moca, who began with earnest. “Our adventure begins in the city of Pylita! Look at that map that I, the great Moca, have drawn for you!” Tsugumi placed her finger on the spot where Pylita was located. 

“Very Tsuguriffic of you!” Moca beamed. “It was in Pylita that a certain Paladin of the Goddess Lydia had received a vision~! Oh a great and weird vision indeed! For, as the Mighty Paladin was praying to her Goddess, the Goddess granted her a vision of a village full of unhappy people! Something seemed to be troubling and tormenting their minds! Oh nooo!” Moca looked at Tsugumi with wide maniacal eyes. “What do you want to do about this, O great Paladin of Lydia?”

“Uhhhh?” Tsugumi said, looking around the table. “I guess I should see if I can help them!”

“Indeed!” Moca said, catching Ran’s eyes. “And who would accompany you on this journey, if not your trusty companion in arms, your lawful loyal servant, your Ran!”

“Moca, do you have to put it like that?” Ran grumbled, her complexion fluctuating between a red anger and a pink blush.

“Yes.” Moca continued. “But! The roads are dangerous, travel is hazardous, and adventuring can just be downright tiring. Don’t you think, Lisa-chii? Not to mention, you had the same sort of vision the night before, and the only logical thing to do after having such a vision given to you would be to take your trusty friend Himari and visit the temple of the Goddess of Knowledge, Lydia!”

“Uhmmm...sure?” Lisa said, looking to Tomoe. Tomoe simply shrugged, and began eating a bag of potato chips. 

“Of course you would!” Moca smiled. “So you go to enter the temple of Lydia, which is just down the street from your temple. But, as Moca would have it, right as you’re going for the large oak door, it flings open! Roll a die, Lisa-chii!”

“Whaa? Which one?” Lisa gasped, shocked at suddenly having to do something. “This one?”

“Yeah, that’ll do!” Moca grinned. 

Lisa’s Dexterity Save:  
20

“That’s really high, right?” Lisa grinned.

“Yes~!” Moca said, but a devilish grin formed on her face. “But that means you fail! The door hits you right on the forehead and knocks you backward for two points of damage! Fortunately, Hii-chan grabs onto you very tightly and saves you from falling in the mud! Yayyy Hii-chan! 

“This seems rather unfair, but alright...” Lisa said, letting out a sigh. “At least I have Hii-chan at my back!”

“Out of the door rushes a tall muscular woman in armor followed by a much shorter woman.” Moca continued. “Both appear to be older than you, and you instantly recognize the emblems on their clothing to be that of the Goddess Lydia! So, what do you all say to each other? Not you, Tomo-chin, you’re not here quite yet!”

“Uh, sorry Lisa!” Tsugumi said to Moca, and Moca shook her head and pointed to Lisa. 

“Say that to her! And Tsugu, we all know you’re very powerful and tsuguriffic, but you don’t know her name yet! Introduce yourself!”

“I’m Tsugumi of Pylita, Paladin of Lydia! Uh, yeah!”

“This is stupid.” Ran said, rolling her eyes. 

“Uh… Uhm...” Himari stammered. “You hurt Lisa-chii! Watch where you’re going!” 

“Oh no!” Tsugumi looked apologetically toward Lisa. “I’m so sorry!” 

“Don’t apologize, Tsugumi. It’s not like you actually hurt her. Nor was it your fault. Moca made it up.” Ran muttered.

“Ran, you meanie, just play the game!” Himari pouted. “I’m Himari of Eresilene, a cleric of Myhriss, and this poor injured beauty...” Himari said, pausing for breath. “...is Lisa!”

“I’m also a cleric of Myhriss.” Lisa explained. “We’re here to give some information to you, I think.”

“Oh?” Tsugumi said.

“My character… uh, no, I had a dream last night.” Lisa began, looking at Moca. Moca nodded her head approvingly. “Yeah, so in this dream, there was like, a village and these people weren’t all that happy.”

“Oh, I had a dream like that too!” Tsugumi exclaimed. “The problem is, it’s probably unsafe to travel there alone...”

“Ahhh, but you see Tsugumi, what you were particularly looking for were clerics to help heal you on your quest~!” Moca interrupted. “And it just so happens that these particular clerics also had dreams! Yes, you too Hii-chan! Hii-chan’s dreams were less vivid, but she heard a distinct voice tell her to ‘Seek the village of Kalambaka.”

“Oh, do we know where that is?” Tsugumi said, looking at the map.

“Tsugumi is the only one who recognizes it~!” Moca said, waving her arms in a congratulatory way. “But you don’t like it! Unlike the wonderful city of Pylita, Kalambaka is...” Moca paused to make some noises of nausea. “... patriarchal. And waaay out of the way. You’ve only heard rumors, but women can’t vote, and are looked down upon there. You’re sickened by the thought of having to visit that place and potentially save it.”

“I’m sickened, too. It’s probably run by a bunch of nasty old men!” Lisa said, holding her nose up in disgust. Moca suppressed a giggle but her face beamed with pride, as Lisa seemed to be genuinely role-playing her character. Although... she might just hate men, but Moca chose to believe that Lisa was simply amazing at roleplaying. 

“Well, we have to go, regardless of how we feel about it...” Tsugumi said. “If you think about it, it would be bad to ignore a direct message from our goddesses, especially if mine is a goddess of wisdom and knowledge.”

“Oooh, very very good Tsugu!” Moca stared wide-eyed at tsugu and took a massive bite out of a bun.

“If you would like to join us, we would be glad to have you both!” Tsugumi said. 

Moca gulped down her bun and took a deep breath. “Ah, just to speed things along, you four all get permission from your superiors to hurry and investigate Kalambaka. You can travel by horse, if you can afford the 35 gold pieces to give Lisa a horse. Ran can ride with Tsugu, and Himari can ride with Lisa.” 

“I can almost get that myself, but I won’t have any money left!” Lisa laughed nervously. 

“Don’t worry Lisa, I will give you 15 gold pieces! Will that be enough help?” Tsugumi asked, and Lisa nodded. 

“Greaaaat! So mark off your gold, and get going! You’re wasting daylight, and it’s a long journey!” Moca explained, taking another bite of bun. 

“Wait, when do I come in?” Tomoe said, frowning a bit.

Moca sat upright in her seat. “Oh yeah! Uh… later!” Tomoe’s frown grew larger. “So yeah, we already equipped everyone with food and stuff, so it takes you four whole days of riding until you come across a town called Rhamnos. Still another day or two until you reach Kalambaka.”

“YES!” Tomoe shouted with glee.

“What happened while we were travelling?” Ran asked, seeming a bit annoyed. 

“Well, you ate four days worth of buns! So cross off that many rations!” Moca smiled, taking another large bite out of a third bun. “You travelled along the road, stopping at night to camp. You didn’t see many people, and the ones you did see you passed by rather quickly because of your speedy horses! Aaaand… you arrive to Rhamnos just as the sun is setting!”

“Well, let’s get to an inn then, if there is one?” Lisa suggested. “It sounds like we didn’t bathe this entire time.”

“You’re right! You didn’t!” Moca grinned, and Lisa wrinkled her nose. “Because Himari was riding in front of you, you got to smell her the entire time, too!” 

“Moca!” Himari shouted, throwing a pencil at her. Tsugumi was about to step in, but Lisa started laughing. 

“If it was Hii-chan, she probably didn’t smell too bad!” Lisa giggled, and Himari turned bright red. 

“There is an inn, and it’s called the Warrior Wagon!” Moca quickly diverted all attention away from the suffering Himari. “You hear lots of boisterous noise coming from inside! Yaaah! Woooo! And the smell of alcohol even permeates the air outside of the bar! Ewwww!”

“Let’s go inside and get rooms!” Lisa suggested. 

“And take a bath...” Himari mumbled, more than a bit timid.

“Yaayyyy!” Moca said in a low-effort attempt at jubilation. “The Warrior wagon is a big old wooden building. The main room is like a restaurant and bar, with tables and chairs everywhere, and a big long bar top. There’s this many people!” Moca threw her arms wide, emphasizing the number. “Everyone is sitting shoulder to shoulder, and most everyone is drinking lots of beer!” 

“Oh, interesting!” Tsugumi said. “I can almost picture it in my head! So, is there someone that looks like an innkeeper anywhere?”

“What does an innkeeper look like, Tsugu?” Moca said, grinning.

“Uhhh… well they’re probably behind the bar serving drinks, maybe! And collecting money from patrons!”

“Ohh very good, Tsugurific as always!” Moca said, but then turned to Himari and Lisa. “There are lots of men staring at you two! You are very beautiful, being clerics of Myhriss. Many of the men around you are quite stunned by your appearance, Lisa-chii! They like what they see!”

“Okay Moca, you don’t have to sound so creepy about it...” Lisa said, rolling her eyes slightly. “We walk up to the bar, to talk to the innkeeper.”  
“Oh, he’s talking to someone right now” Moca began, and stared at Tomoe. “A short, stout young man with red hair seems to be in deep conversation with the innkeeper! Oh, and I’m the innkeeper, so you can address me as such.”

“I’ll talk to the innkeeper!” Tsugumi said, addressing Moca. “Hello, are you the innkeeper? We would like two--”

“Who are you??” Moca said, practically shouting, but not in an unfriendly way. “What brings ye and those two incredible beauties here to Rhamnos?”

“As I was trying to say...” Tsugumi began, smiling sweetly, “We want to get rooms. How much?” 

“Oh! So they won’t tell us their names!” Bartender Moca said rather loudly, and then motioned to Tomoe. “What do ye think o’ that, Tomo-chin? Kinda rude if ye ask me!”

Tomoe stifled some laughter, and attempted to speak in a low voice. “Oi, quite rude! Even if they are pretty!” 

“Tomoe, why are you talking like that. Stop.” Ran said, crossing her arms. 

“It’s for fun, dumbass! Try it!” Tomoe laughed. “It’s called role-playing! Ako told me a bit about how it works.”

“I’m Tsugumi of Pylita, and this is Ran of Pylita. We’re on our way to Kalambaka.”

“I’m Lisa, and this is Himari of Ereselene. We’re also heading there!”

“What? Why would you wanna head there? No one goes there anymore!” Bartender Moca said, chastising them. “Just a dead end town with nothing of importance.”

“It’s none of your business. Just give us rooms, Moca.” Ran glared at Moca.

“Moca? What a beautiful and elegant name!” Bartender Moca smiled devilishly. “I don’t know anyone by that name though. Rin, was it? Why don’t you buy a pint!” 

“Yeah, a pint might calm her down a bit!” Tomoe said, laughing. Ran glared at her. 

“We’re going to Kalambaka because we’ve had dreams that there’s some trouble happening there.” Lisa explained. 

“Oh, trouble?” Bartender Moca said, putting a hand to her chin. “Oi, Tomoe, weren’t you just saying you’d like to go on an adventure? Try your new skills out? That should be fun! Why don’t you have Tomoe lead you to Kalambaka. He knows the way!”

“Okay, fine, whatever, can we get a room?” Ran said, becoming quite impatient. 

“Only got two rooms left, with only a single bed in each, at 10 silver pieces a night.” Bartender Moca grinned mischievously after making a few rolls of the dice. “It does include housing your horsies in the stables, and a decent meal.”

“We’ll take them.” Tsugumi said. “I hand over a gold piece. That is the proper amount, right?”

“Tsuguriffic as always!” Moca said, and then switched to her bartender voice. “Here are the keys!” 

“I guess Himari and I can sleep together, since we know each other!” Lisa smiled sweetly. Tsugumi noticed Himari was turning bright red again, and was at a loss for how to help her. 

“Ahaha...” Tsugumi laughed nervously. “I guess I’ll be with Ran then.”

“So, what about Tomochin?” Moca frowned and pouted. “How could you forget about him? He’s standing right there!”

“Oh!” Tsugumi said, slightly startled. “Don’t you live around here? Just go sleep wherever you normally do! We leave tomorrow at dawn! Oh and… can you ride a horse? We only have two.” 

“Oi, I got a horse! She’s a beaut! I’ll meetcha at dawn then!” Tomoe said cheerfully. “My character finishes the entire pint in one go, and slams the mug down on the table. Soiya!!!”

“Okaayyy okaayyy~!” Moca said. “So you wash and go to your rooms and all of that, and Tomoe goes home and prepares for his journey for the next day. And now it’s the next day. At dawn, you all meet up and Tomo-chin leads you on the path to Kalambaka!” 

“Aw right, let’s go!” Tomoe said in a deep voice. 

“After almost a day of riding, Tomo-chin tells everyone that Kalambaka is just ahead!” Moca narrated, barely containing her excitement. “You can see many buildings off in the distance, and you can see rustic farmhouses, and farm animals, and people as well! You have a few hours before it gets dark~!”

“So, what’s the plan.? What are we going to do now that we’re here?” Ran asked, posing the questions to the table. “Everything seems fine. No one seems to be in danger.” 

“I don’t think our Goddesses would lie to us, Ran-chan!” Tsugumi said. “We’ll just have to look around. Trauma and grief aren’t always visible on the outside! We will need to be good listeners and observers to find the problem, especially if it isn’t physical!”

“Oh wow, Tsugu! You would be a great addition to Roselia! They could learn a thing or two from you!” Lisa grinned, thinking about her somewhat hopeless bandmates and their antics. 

“Back off, Imai san, she’s ours.” Ran grumbled. 

“We need Tsugu to keep these two in check...” Tomoe said, nodding towards Moca and Ran.

“A...anyway...” Himari said, building confidence. She really wanted to talk more, but she didn’t want to say anything stupid in front of Lisa. “I agree with Tsugu! We haven’t even seen the town yet, or talked to anyone. So first, we should learn as much as we can about the people!”

“Ohhh, Hii-chan!” Moca gazed wide-eyed at Himari. “What a great idea! Okaayy, I’ll describe the town a bit~! Many of those buildings you saw from a distance are actually boarded up and empty. There really don’t seem to be many people around… but up ahead are two men with swords! They’re just merrily talking and laughing, though. Oh, they noticed you! They are approaching!”

“Hello~!” Moca said, sounding much like herself. She was really just roleplaying a town guard. “What brings you to our wonderful little town of Kalambaka?” 

Everyone looked around the table, kind of worried. They had all realized that they couldn’t really say that they were there because they heard there was trouble, as that would be rather awkward and suspicious. Thinking quickly, Tomoe ventured an answer. “Ah, just sight-seeing! Looking for a good place to stay the night!” 

“Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!” Moca said, making a very silly sounding laugh. “There’s nothing to see here, I’m afraid. Just a small town, same as always. Decent drinks and beds at the inn up ahead. It’s called the Lokma Inn and Tavern. Oh, and they’re having a show later tonight, so I guess you strolled into town at just the right time!” Moca switched back to her DM voice. “Tomoe, they only seem to really be addressing you, and mostly ignoring the others.”

“Why are all of these buildings empty?” Ran said, waving her arm slightly as if to indicate the buildings were actually around her. Moca noticed and grinned widely as Ran quickly sat on her hands, hoping to never do that again. She didn’t want to show any interest in the game, if she could help it. 

Moca suddenly had a very serious look on her face. “It’s Drestyn’s fault, that bastard!” Moca pretended to spit on the floor. “Curse him!” Everyone looked around the table at each other, suddenly becoming very interested in the game. They had found something, and even Ran’s interest had been piqued. “We don’t mention his name, and it’d be best to not ask questions about it! Especially you women-folk, it would be tooo disturbin’ to worry your little heads about!” 

“Oh, they didn’t just say that!” Lisa said, crossing her arms. “I oughtta--”

“Now, now, Lisa, I don’t like what they said either, but we can’t go fighting them, they’re probably guards or something! We can pay them back later!” Tsugumi said, smiling nervously. “Let’s see if we can find out more about Drestyn!”

“Oh, I’ve found the trouble. It’s them. Drestyn was probably for women’s rights and they killed him.” Lisa said, still unhappy.

“Aha...” Moca said, rolling some dice. “The two men completely ignore you, Tsugu! And they’re practically drooling for you, Lisa-chii! They see before them a complete stunner of a girl~!” Moca paused, preparing to speak in her non-player character voice. “Oh er ummm… how do I convert to your god? I’ll gladly be a follower of them! Where do I sign up?” 

“I step in front of Lisa-sempai,” Himari said suddenly. “Uhmm, we aren’t looking to convert you! But who do you worship? Do you know where we can find Drestyn?”

“If one more creepy guy says something weird, I’m going to fight them.” Lisa frowned. “Moca, quit throwing creepy guys in the game!”

“Aren’t they all creepy~?” Moca grinned. “Anyway, you’re too cute, you attract them all with your womanly charms~! The two men also say this: We’re town guards, and uh, we technically follow Pelor.”

“Wow, so devout.” Ran said, oozing sarcasm. “Alright, let’s move along, we clearly won’t get anything important out of them while Lisa is around, stealing the show as always.”

“Ran, what’s that supposed to mean?” Lisa frowned again, a bit sad. 

“Oh, she’s just attacking Roselia again, same as always...” Himari said. “Don’t pay her any mind, Lisa-chii!!”

“Okaaay!” Moca said, grabbing everyone’s attention by taping some papers to her DM screen. “Here’s some important stuff! This is a handy dandy map, as it won’t take long to give the town a bit of a walkthrough. Right here is the inn, and over here is the courthouse type of building, and over here is a general store! And this paper here is basically the information on the sign by the courthouse building that goes over all the laws of the town! Be careful! If you break the law, you could face a punishment for being a baddie!” 

“Exactly! Lisa, this is why you can’t go murdering misogynists, no matter how much they deserve it. It would end the game!” Tomoe laughed.

“Tomoe is right, Lisa.” Tsugumi said firmly. “It would be better to work towards proper change. If you kill them, it’s still murder.”

“Fine, I won’t kill them, but I’ll reserve the right to bash them with my mace if they get too close!” Lisa nodded, satisfied. “Let’s get to the inn, and get our rooms!”

“And see about that show!” Himari said cheerfully. 

“Ooh okaaay~!” Moca smiled sweetly. “You make your way to the Lokma Inn and Tavern! There are lots of smelly men drinking beer! But wouldn’t you know it, they all turn and look at the beautiful Lisachii! And quite a few are eyeing Hii-chan as well!”

“Ahaha...” Tsugumi looked apologetically toward Himari and Lisa. “Let’s find the owner and pay the fees!”

“Oi! I wanna order beers for the group!” Tomoe grunted and guffawed.

“Yaaay! Beeeeer!” Moca cheered, and ordered Tomoe to take off one silver coin from her character sheet. 

“Uh, Tomoe, we don’t really drink beer...” Lisa chided, and Himari nodded vigorously in approval.

“Nor do we.” Ran said, crossing her arms. Tsugumi simply smiled. “I refuse to drink it.”

“Fine, more for me! SOIYAAA!” Tomoe shouted. “I’ll give two of them to people around me!”

“Oooohh, thank you kind stranger man!” Moca says in a deep, friendly voice. “What brings you to Kalambaka?” 

“Can we please get the rooms, Moca?” Tsugumi said, but was drowned out by Tomoe.

“We’re here to see the show!” Tomoe grinned, but then looked cautiously towards Moca. ”I’m also lookin’ for information, but that can wait until after this ‘ere beer! I chug the beer!”

“Oooh, ooooh, the show, it’s gonna be a greaaat show!” Moca said, in a much higher pitched voice, explaining that a maid had swung around with more beers. “The entry fee is just three little bitty copper pieces! Each~! Oh, and for all your charming lady friends, if you’d like a nice big room with four beds, you can have it for a gold piece~! Just don’t get too rowdy~!”

“You can address me, not Tomoe.” Tsugumi ordered with a polite yet firm smile. “I am Tsugumi of Pylita. Here is your gold piece and fifteen copper pieces. I would appreciate it greatly if you would incorporate us more into the game, Moca-chan!” 

“Ohhh, Tsugu...riffic...” Moca said. “Tsugu, you cause the area around you to become hushed~! The maid quickly takes your money and gets you a key~!”

“Thanks, Tsugu! You’re the best!” Lisa grins. “But we can’t have Tomoe sleeping with us. Tomoe, get your own room!” Tomoe looked a bit dumbfounded.

“Tomochin, you were the one who said you wanted to play a male character, after all!” Himari teased. “Of course we wouldn’t let you stay in the room with us! You’re an older guy! Ew! Creepy!”

“Fine, fine, whatever, what’s the cheapest room they have?” Tomoe replied quickly, blushing slightly. 

“Just one silver piece!” Moca grinned. “Thanks Tomochinnn! You get to sleep in the common room with all the other smelly men! And none of them seem to want to talk to you anymore! They give you mean looks.”

“Wha?? Why?” Tomoe asked, quite shocked. 

“Why did he bring them… headstrong womenfolk in here?” Moca said, pretending to be another patron at the bar. “They really do be dampenin’ the mood, with all their seriousness and such. Can’t he corral them better, if he’s got four of em? Four is too many.”

“MOCA!” Tomoe yelled, blushing. 

“Suddenly!” Moca shouted, attempting to divert the attention away from her previous comment. “There is a loud commotion coming from the other side of the bar! Ohhhh noooo! You hear a voice shouting ‘You killed my brother, so I’m gonna kill you! Ahhhh!’. People quickly begin gathering around that area of the bar! What do our brave heroines--and slightly tipsy Tomoe--do?”

“I rush over to try and stop them!” Tsugumi said quickly.

“I’ll help by pushing people out of the way.” Ran said. 

“I’ll also tell everyone to move, and get ready to heal anyone that gets injured!” Lisa said, getting a bit excited.

“I’ll help Lisa to shout everyone out of the way!” Himari said, hoping she would be helpful for Lisa. 

“I think I’ll try to get a better view by standing on the bar top!” Tomoe grinned. 

“Oooh, okay~!” Moca nodded in approval, and rolled some dice. “Tomoe, you can’t see the attacker, but you see the person being attacked! They are rather tall and hair is pouring out of his face forming this really great beard! It’s graying a bit, which I personally think is rather ~mocatastic~! You hear the beard man say ‘They just asked for information! I didn’t kill them!’. You also hear the reply of ‘but YOU told them about Drestyn’s treasure! And convinced them to go! Take this!’.”

“Oh, that’s not good...” Tomoe said. “So the attacker is really short! And the one being attacked has a big gray beard!”

“It seems that way~” Moca droned. “Tsugu and Ran! You have great difficulty moving through the crowd. They’ve gathered around to see the fight~! Yay! Fight! Fight! You hear them shout that. Lisa, your voice just doesn’t seem to reach anyone… but Hiichan! The whole crowd hears you! You’re super loud! And people don’t like it. They look at you disapprovingly. ‘Bad, Bad, Hiichan’ is what they would say if they knew your name~!”

“Uhhh!” Himari looked around, panicking just a little. “I’ll shout for them to move out of the way again!” 

Moca made a few rolls and her eyes grew very wide. “Oooh noooo.” Moca droned, but this time she actually looked a bit worried. “The crowd around the first fight has lightened up a little bit, and Tsugumi and Ran can rush to save the day! But now, people aren’t so happy about Hii-chan yelling at them. They close in around her, and she’s separated from Lisa-chii! What will you do now!”

“Ran, you go help Himari! I’ll deal with this first situation.” Tsugumi said confidently.

“Can I run along the bar top and jump to where Himari is?” Tomoe shouted, extremely excited. Moca grinned and asked her to roll the 20 sided die twice.

Tomoe’s dexterity rolls:  
-10 (fail)  
-17 (big fail!)

“Hahaha! Tomo-chin tries to run across the bar top, which at this point in the evening is slippery with beer and food. Tomo-chin also had three beers just now, so her perception of where her feet actually are is a bit compromised. Tomo-chin slips on a piece of greasy chicken and falls flat on her face~! You take one point of damage!” Moca said, causing everyone to laugh. Tomoe sighed, but she herself was grinning as well.

“Well, at least I tried...” Tomoe muttered, stifling laughter.

“I push my way towards Himari, threatening anyone who tries to hurt her.” Ran stated, trying to keep a serious face and tone.

“I make my way to Ran, because we need to stick together as much as possible.” Lisa said. “We have to save Himari!!” Himari blushed a little, and looked down at the table in an attempt to hide it. 

“Oi!” Moca said in a deep voice, pretending to be a bar patron. “Who let these women in here? Who told ‘em it was okay to yell at us? Go serve us some beer or somethin’! Get outta here, you can’t tell us what to do!”

“Ran, Lisa, do not punch them!” Tsugumi looked worriedly toward Ran and Lisa, who did not look happy. “We can’t start a bar fight! No!”

“Oh, I’ll do more than punch them. I’ll hit them with this mace!” Lisa grinned, just a tad bit of wickedness in her eyes. 

“Hit’em where it hurts, Lisa.” Ran said. “I’m taking out my short sword.”

“I’ll… defend myself?” Himari said, a bit confused.

“Okay~ Calm down~!” Moca said, suppressing laughter. “Tsugumi needs to deal with her situation first, anyway. Tsugu, there is a very tiny person, which you know to be a halfling, wielding a dagger and swiping at a bearded man!”

“I tell him to stop! And step in between them, with my sword and shield out!” Tsugumi confidently nodded.

“Oooh. Upon seeing the great and powerful and muscular looking paladin, the little halfling begins to shake and whimper!” Moca said. 

Tsugumi looked worried. “They’re scared of me! I can’t fight them! I don’t want to kill them!”

“It’s okay~! You can fight to subdue!” Moca nodded confidently. “It won’t kill them unless you hit them really really good. Roll the dice like I showed you!

Attack!  
Tsugumi- 11 (hit, d8+1, ½ damage)= 2  
Halfling- 2

“Good job, Tsugu!” Moca grinned. “You knock aside a very feeble dagger attack, and bash the poor little creature with your shield! The halfling, seeing the chaos all around him, turns to flee!”

“Oh, I need to catch him! We might have to explain ourselves to the guards. He is the instigator of all of this, after all.” Tsugumi said.

“The instigator of the first fight, that is~!” Moca grinned. “Are you going to try to grab him, or attack him to subdue him? Either way, roll a d20!”

“Grab him!”

Tsugumi- 13 

“Another dexterity roll failed...” Moca sighed in disappointment. “The halfling quickly darts away and through the back door. Now...” Moca turned to Ran and Lisa. “Roll initiative! It’s the ten sided die, and you’ll take turns rolling it before each attack round, starting with Hii-chan! Oh, and Moca chan will be kind and say that there are only two men each fighting you, and they’re all a bit tipsy!” 

Initiative:

Himari- 4  
Bar Patrons- 4

Attack!

Himari- 4  
Ran- 6  
Lisa- 14 (hit) D6+1= 6 damage  
Bar Patron (H)- 6 (-2)  
Bar Patron (H)- 12 (-2)  
Bar Patron (R)- 13 (-2)  
Bar Patron (R)- 20 (hit)(d4)= 2 damage  
Bar Patron (L)- 1  
Bar Patron (L)- 16 (-2)(hit)= 1 damage

“Woah!!” Moca began. “Ran missed, but Lisa landed a very powerful blow, which, the gracious Moca chan will say was an attempt to subdue and not kill, because Lisachii would be going to jail for murder otherwise! While that is happening, both Lisa and Ran are poked with a knife for 1 and 2 damage, respectively.” 

“I told you not to start a fight!!!” Tsugumi looked at Ran and Lisa, disappointed, and their hearts sank quite a bit.

“OI!” Moca shouted in a very commandeering voice. “What’s going on in here? Everyone! Weapons away, now!” Moca explained that the 8 men rushing into the bar were all wearing armor and carrying weapons similar to the two they met earlier on the road. Clearly, they were part of the town guard.

“Alright, who started this?” Moca continued with her Guard Leader voice.

“A fight broke out between this man here, and a halfling! I pull the bearded man over to the guards.” Tsugumi said. “He knows best how this started.”

“One of those dastardly bar patrons speaks up!” Moca began, adjusting her voice. “These women-folk decided to push us around! They even hit ol’ Tanaka here, I’m not sure he’ll ever be able to have children again! Look at all the blood!”

“They attacked our friend first!” Ran shouted.

“Yeah, they attacked that cute girl over there!” Lisa shouted, pointing to Himari.

“No more shouting!” Guard Moca said. “Damn… that is a cute girl… AHEM. Now, seeing as no one was too badly hurt, I suppose we can settle this here. Each offender, which will be determined now, will pay 5 gold or be jailed for the night. You lot surrounding the pretty girlie, and you three women, you’ll need to pay. Some of the damages will go toward repairing a few of these broken tables and chairs. Also, the entertainment has been cancelled for tonight.”

“We’re all able to pay, except for Tomoe.” Tsugumi stated. “So yes, we’ll all pay, and then go to bed immediately. I’ll cover Tomoe’s fine.”

“Huh?? But tomochin isn’t included in the fine~! No one noticed his disorderly fall! Which doesn’t really fall under disorderly conduct anyway. It could have been part of the show!” Moca said, smiling sweetly at Tomoe. 

“Alright, fair enough!” Guard Moca said. “I don’t want to hear any commotion out of any of you! Otherwise, it’s jail time!” Moca then switched her voice to an older sounding one, and looked toward Tsugumi. “Excuse me, miss, thank you kindly. Mayhaps we can chat a bit, on the morn? I feel as though an explanation is necessary. That’s the bearded guy you saved, Tsugu~!!”

“Right, in the morning though.” Tsugumi said. “We need a night in the comfort of our room.”

“Yaaaay~!” Moca raised her arms in the air, and then reached for another bun. “You all go to your room, and Tomo-chin goes to sleep in the common room.”

“We lock the door, of course.” Lisa said. “Oh! Himari and I will heal everyone!”

“Even those men?” Moca said, grinning mischievously. Tsugumi crossed her arms and smiled sweetly at Lisa. Lisa recognized this as a command.

“...Everyone.” Lisa begrudgingly grumbled.

“Great, that’s two little healing spells each! Yaaay! Experience! The injured man is very grateful to you, Lisachii! He blushes heavily when you heal him, and says you can hit him as much as you want!” Moca grinned, dodging the many things Lisa began throwing at her. “Now, nothing happens during the night. You sleep quite soundly. You wake up the next morning! Yaaay!”

“Was there any reason why we wouldn’t?” Ran said, crossing her arms. Moca ignored her, though. 

“The bearded man is sitting by the bar! He beckons to you, and offers breakfast for the group.” Moca began, and changed her voice to one befitting an older gentleman. “You see, that young lad has a brother. He and some other travellers were looking to make some quick money, so I suggested they go to the old manor a few miles away from here. It’s risky business going there, ya see, but there is probably some treasure there.” 

“Why would you tell them to go somewhere dangerous?” Tsugumi chided. “That’s not good… but if it’s only a few miles away, why would there be any treasure left? Surely everyone knows it’s there, and would have taken everything. You must have left something out.”

“Not quite. Have you not heard of the tale of...” Moca said, and hushed her voice, “Drestyn’s Curse? I guess it’s a bit taboo to talk about...”

“Well, go on then, don’t leave us hangin’, Moca!” Tomoe said. Himari and Lisa nodded in agreement, while Ran just nibbled on a piece of bun.

“Ya see, Kalambaka was once a very prosperous town. Loads of people and commerce, the marketplace was filled with trade, entertainment, and joy. What people don’t remember is that it was Drestyn’s wealth and power that allowed for such prosperity. He would have feasts and ballroom dances, and nobles from all over would come to visit frequently.”

“That actually… explains the empty buildings, since there was actually a time when they were used. I thought Moca was just making this stuff up as she went...” Ran pondered all of the other little things Moca said that might have hinted at the truth. “It would explain why the bartender in Rhamnos said people don’t come here anymore!”

“Aye, that’s true!” Moca continued in her bearded old man voice. “As time passed, however, something happened. No one is sure what, and if they tell you they know, I guarantee that they are lying. But the facts are that fewer and fewer nobles came to the manor over time. Some say servants stole from them, others blame terrible or poisoned food, but regardless of the cause, popularity declined. At the same time, the once prosperous fields surrounding Kalambaka failed to produce the food we relied upon. There was also seemingly a plague of snakes, as they were everywhere at that time. Those are the facts, but the general story you might squeeze out of others is this: Drestyn went mad and murdered all of his servants and then himself. The other popular theory is that Drestyn made a pact with some demon. All of this is just rumor though, and I won’t participate in spreading falsehoods such as that.”

“Okay okay, but if they’re all dead, why would it be dangerous to go there?” Lisa pointed out. 

“Some say the ghost of Lord Drestyn still haunts the manor. Many adventurers have run back from the manor claiming to have seen ghosts, felt the presence of other-worldly beings, and have seen movements within the building...” Moca explained, taking a big draught of water afterward. 

“Are there still snakes?” Tsugumi asked. “Are the crops still failing?”

“They are not.” Moca said in a harsh whisper. “And this is partly why no one talks of the curse, as it’s been outlawed. The Council doesn’t want people to talk about the curse, nor do they want adventurers visiting the manor to reignite the curse. This was 30 years ago, and they want it to stay in the past.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Tsugumi said, hiding a slight smile. The roleplay was actually kind of fun for her, now that she understood what was happening. “How will we find out the truth if no one seeks it?”

“But are we really going to go search through an old haunted manor to figure out a mystery from 30 years ago? Let bygones be bygones.” Ran rolled her eyes. 

“Now Ran, we both worship Lydia, goddess of knowledge. We wouldn’t have gotten dreams had some wrong not been committed. It is our charge to right the wrong! Right Moca?”

“Exactly, Tsugurific performance, Tsugu!” Moca cheered. “Your characters all feel urged to figure out what’s going on, deep down inside of you. Well, maybe not Tomoe so much.”

“No, I wanna go beat up some ghosts!” Tomoe said. “I can hit a ghost, right?”

“I dunno! We’ll see!” Moca grinned. “Let’s pause to get more buns!”

The group took a break to eat and talk about the game. Himari was excited to try and impress Lisa, but even in this scenario, it might still prove difficult. Right now, to Himari, she was the baby that Lisa was protecting. Himari no longer wanted to be the baby, but she wanted power. She was determined to fight, and make good decisions when they started playing again.  
Meanwhile, Moca texted Maya everything as fast as she could. The first part was a great success, and the players were roleplaying the characters. Even Ran was doing well, despite being so averse to the game. Maya replied with this advice: stay calm, and let them make mistakes. Don’t be afraid of their characters dying. I read over your translation of the module, so I know the next bit can be dangerous. Just make sure to take your time and explain it all clearly!

Moca set the phone down, feeling confident.


	3. Ghosts in the Shell of the Manor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our brave characters travel to Drestyn Manor to try and find the treasures within!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't remember if I mentioned this in the last chapter, so this info is going here as well! This is a module created by Brent G Davis in 1996, and I'm running Afterglow feat. Lisa through the module. I cut some things out of the module in the hopes to make it a more streamlined experience for the readers! 
> 
> All rolls are real, and all the rules of 1st Edition AD&D are followed to the best of my abilities! I hope you enjoy :)

While Moca was busy texting and preparing the next part of the adventure, Tomoe enthralled the table with a story from Ako’s campaign. “Ya see, they were exploring a mansion type of thing, like we’re about to do! And Sayo-san organized how they were gonna be exploring it!”

“Of course she did, she’s Roselia’s second in command. Extra bossy.” Ran mumbled, rolling her eyes. “Okusawa-san told me that much. Apparently, it almost got her killed many times. Rinko-san was the only reason they actually survived at all.”

“They all almost died multiple times!” Tomoe grinned, excited. “It seems like there’s lots of strange creatures in the game.”

“I think I’d rather fight creatures than these creepy men, to be honest...” Lisa said, giving a half smile. “When Ako and Sayo were gushing about the game, there was definitely a clear line between good and evil. But ya know, it seems that the people here are both...”

“I guess we just have a harder job!” Himari exclaimed, a look of determination in her eyes. “We have to change these people’s hearts!”

“Exactly!” Tsugumi smiled cheerfully. “Our focus is on saving people, not dealing out harsh punishments.”

“Hear ye, hear ye!” Moca shouted, grabbing everyone’s attention. “The birds sing! And you wake up. Yaaaay! It’s morning!”

“We’ll set out after we have restocked our food supply!” Tsugumi said, taking charge. 

“Okaaaay!” Moca began. “You set out in the direction that the old man indicated. You cross over fields, little copses of trees, and past a small babbling brook. Suddenly, a small figure stumbles out a nearby bush. ‘Stooooop!’ He yells. He’s about three foot tall, and is swinging around a big pointy dagger!”

“I take out my hammer.” Ran said, a flame appearing in her eye. Tomoe laughed, getting ready to roll the dice.

“Alright, we stop!” Tsugumi said. “Don’t intimidate him! There’s only one of him, and five of us!”

“Are you going to the manor? Take me with you!” Moca said in a high-pitched, squeaky voice. She turned to Tsugumi and spoke in her normal voice. “Tsuguuuu, you notice that this is the halfling that ran away the other night! Oh no!”

“I get off the horse!” Himari said. “What’s your name? I’m Himari!”

“My name is... Paros...” Moca squeaked. “Please let me come with you! I can fight!” 

“We’ll protect you, Paros!” Himari nodded vigorously.

“Himari, we don’t know the first thing about this guy. Why would you trust him?”

“He’s small!” Himari pouted. “And he’s looking for his brother.”

Moca began sniffling, fake tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you Himari! You’re so kind!” Moca exclaimed as Paros the Halfling. “He hugs you, Hii-chan!”

“Wow, Hii-chan, you handled that with so much care and consideration! So motherly~!” Lisa grinned, and Tsugumi noticed that Lisa was blushing ever so slightly. “Unlike these two over here. You were going to kill him!” Lisa rolled her eyes, the redness in her face disappearing completely. 

Himari grabbed her drink and quaffed it down to conceal her excitement. The cool liquid didn’t seem to be helping to quell the extreme heat she suddenly felt from Lisa’s words. 

“Fine, fine, the pipsqueak can join us!” Tomoe laughed heartily, fully in character. “I just got excited at the chance to hit something!”

“I can’t believe I stooped to your level of barbarity...” Ran muttered under her breath, shocked that she hastily jumped to such a rash action. 

“So, Paros will be joining you! Yaaay~!” Moca exclaimed. “He can ride with Tomo-chin! But he’s not a fan of Tomo-chin...”

“What? Why??” Tomoe frowned, confused. 

“You called him a mean name!” Lisa chided. “Just because he’s small, he can’t help that!”   
“Ooooh, the ever talented and amazingly beautiful Lisa-chii strikes again!” Moca said, amazed. “He actually appeared very angry when you called him short! Anyway, you travel a bit more but...” Moca paused again to roll the dice multiple times. “Hii-chan! You, with your quick wits and cunning mind, notice that something seems off. Someone or something is following you!”

“Ehhh?” Himari exclaimed, nearly choking. “What do I notice? I tell everyone immediately that we’re being followed!”

“Every now and then, you hear a twig snap, and occasionally birds and small creatures suddenly flitter away, fleetingly~!” Moca said, holding her hand up towards her face. 

“Now now, don’t panic!” Tsugumi said, looking slightly panicked. “We don’t know what it is that Himari-chan heard!”

“I’ll dismount and have my two handed sword at the ready!” Tomoe exclaimed gruffly, happily excited for the encounter. “What direction did the noise come from? I wanna go check it out!”

“Make sure to figure out what it is before beating it up...” Lisa sighed. “I’ll take out my short bow, and keep watch.”

“Oooh! Hii-chan thinks she heard something coming from your left!” Moca began, but then switched to her Paros the Halfling voice. “Methinks I heard something coming from the right side!”

“I’ll dismount and check the right side, then.” Ran nodded. “I’ll also shout at the creature to come out!”

“Ran bravely stands there shouting as nothing happens whatsoever~! Ahaha!” Moca smiled sweetly as Ran grumbled. “Tomo-chin, on the other hand, approaches the left side with the conviction of a thousand samurai warriors! And suddenly! A creature leaps out from behind a fallen tree and narrowly misses the nimble Tomo-chin!”

“SOIYA! Let’s kill it!” Tomoe shouted excitedly. 

“It narrowly missed you, why are you so excited?” Lisa rolled her eyes, but her smile showed that she was enjoying Tomoe’s outburst.

“No! Figure out what it is, first!” Tsugumi exclaimed worriedly, and Himari nodded in agreement. 

“You look very closely at it, and after a few thoughtful moments of reflection upon your studies, as well as consulting a few wildlife books, you determine that the creature is a wolf! It tries to bite Tomo-chin! Ouchie! Tell me what you wanna do!”

“We’re going to go help Tomo-chin, of course!” Ran said, rolling her eyes. “She doesn’t get all the glory!” 

“I’ll go help Tomoe-chan too!” Tsugumi said with fierce determination. 

“We’re gonna stay out of it.” Lisa said pointing to Himari. “Ako and Rinko taught me a thing or two about healers. We don’t fight if we don’t have to!”

“Hmmmm.” Moca said. “Oh yeah~! Ran~! You’re nearly knocked down by another two creatures! From behind! As you were going to help poor Tomo-chin! Tsugu, you can help whomever you wish!” Ran could be heard yelling a few expletives as everyone rolled for initiative.

Initiative!  
Wolves- 6  
Himari- 2

Attack!  
Tomoe- 5 (+1)  
Tsugumi- 1  
Ran- 20 (Hit, 2d4)= 4 damage  
Tomoe’s Wolf - 3  
Ran’s Wolf- 12 (hit, d4+1)= 3 damage  
Tsugu’s Wolf- 2

“Uh oh~!” Moca began. “Ran chan heaves her Lu Hammer skillfully down towards one of the wolves, which takes a hefty blow to the shoulder. Fur and blood drip from the end of the hammer. The injured wolf, in desperation, lunges at Ran with great force, and bites her arm. It’s teeth creep towards her bone! The rest of you miss in such a spectacular way that the Great Bard will make a play about it~!” 

“That’s horrible, Moca-chan!” Tsugumi winced. “Leave out some of those details, please...”

“Yes, please never mention Kaoru again.” Ran said, eyeing Himari. Himari was lost in another world staring at Lisa’s fingers. 

“Ah come on, it’s cool! She’ll have a cool scar to brag about now!” Tomoe guffawed loudly. Lisa couldn’t help but chuckle just a bit. 

Initiative!  
Wolves- 5  
Tomoe- 6

Attack!  
Tomoe’s Wolf- 10 (hit, d4+1)= 2 damage  
Ran’s Wolf- 8  
Tsugu’s Wolf- 10  
Tomoe- 19 (+1) (d10)= 8 damage  
Ran- 3  
Tsugumi- 10

“Oh nowww you’ve done it.” Moca looked sternly at Tomoe. “Mister Wolf bit you for two damage. You know, these wolves are just hungry! They just want a snack! How could you, Tomo-chin!? How could you kill a poor wolf? You cut it clean in two! What did it ever do to you?”

“SOIYAAAA!!” Tomoe shouted. “Take that! I’ll go help the others now!”

“You’ll get there next round!” Moca said, nodding approvingly to herself.

Initiative!  
Lisa- 4  
Wolves- 4

Attack!   
Ran- 15 (hit, 2d4)= 5 damage  
Tsugumi- 17 (hit, 1d8)= 5 damage  
Ran’s Wolf- 3  
Tsugu’s Wolf- 9 

“First Tomo-chin, and now Ran~!” Moca began to tear up. “These poor, hungry, desolate wolves just want a nice tasty snack! Ran in particular looks like a tasty snack~!”

Ran glared back. “Alright, maybe Ran would give them a tummy ache~! You kill the wolf, Ran! But now Tsugu has a Tsugurrific fight to win! You two should let her finish off her wolf!”

“Fine, fine, I think you get experience for killing things, and Tsugumi hasn’t gotten any yet.”

“We get experience for healing things, though. Much more civilized, I think, fufu~!” Lisa grinned.

“Yeah, coming from the one that wanted to beat up everyone in town.” Ran muttered under her breath. 

Initiative!  
Tsugumi- 3  
Wolf- 7

Tsugumi- 13 (hit, d8)= 7 damage  
Wolf- N/A

“Oh! I think I killed it!” Tsugumi exclaimed. 

“Ah, how brave! Our dearest Tsugu has heroically slain her wolf! She is the cutest yet~!” Moca cheered. 

“Wait, why did you cry when we killed ours, but you’re giving her praise?” Ran said, looking a bit put out.

“Tsugu had a certain… finesse in the way she slew the beast. Whereas you two… it was hard to tell who the beast really was!” Moca grinned, and Tomoe guffawed, but Ran just rolled her eyes.

“As you are all a bit experienced in the ways of fighting, you know to clean up your weapons and remove any blood and fur from them.” Moca explained. “And so you set off once again~! The path becomes more and more overgrown with vines and prickly bushes, oh no~! But it’s okay, you can get through them if you really try. At about 2pm, you can start to see a clearing up ahead, and what looks to be a large building~!”

“Is it the manor?” Tsugumi asked. “Maybe we should form a plan?”

“Go in, beat stuff up, find Paros’ brother, and get some treasure!” Tomoe nodded approvingly. “Finders keepers, right? Heck, we can just take the manor for ourselves if we kill everything inside!”

“Tomoe! That’s not nice!” Himari whined, tapping her fingers together shyly. “You don’t own the manor!” 

“Yeah, no one does.” Ran rolled her eyes. “Drestyn’s dead, Paros’ brother is probably dead, and no one else wants it because… ghosts? Yeah, it’s free real estate.”

“Why don’t we actually explore it first…?” Lisa asked. “We could all be killed. At least, that’s what Ako and Rinko said, anyway. Don’t count your chickens before the hatch!”

“Okaaaay!” Moca said, drawing everyone’s attention. “From the edge of the clearing, you can see the manor! It’s bigggg. Two whole stories! With a tower on the South West corner that’s three stories! The first story is made of big chonky stones, and the second story looks to be made of mostly wood. Vines are growing up the entire structure, and there are little baby trees everywhere! The place has seemingly been untouched for many years...”

“But also!” Moca continued after a bit of a pause. “You see a large stone landing, with double doors leading inside. About 15 feet in front of the landing is a large fountain! It’s in the shape of a fish leaping out of the water, and water dribbles out of its mouth!”

“Wow, that’s pretty detailed.” Lisa’s eyes widened as Moca finished. Lisa began jotting some things down on scrap paper. 

“What are you doing, Lisa...chii?” Himari stuttered just a bit, surprised at how hard it was to utter such a cute nickname.

“Rinko told me that someone would need to take notes, otherwise one could get lost or confused very easily.” Lisa said. “And with Moca’s haphazard storytelling abilities, the group needs a dedicated note taker, and probably someone to map out the area.”

“Rinko talks too much.” Moca muttered under her breath, her frustration becoming rather jovial after realizing that Rinko Shirokane talks very little in the first place. 

“Well, let’s get going! If there are ghosts or baddies, I wanna let them get acquainted with my fists!” Tomoe guffawed gruffly. “Let’s go check out the fountain!”

“Tomoe-chan, shouldn’t we be more cautious?” Tsugumi laughed nervously, but the rest of the group seemed ready to go. 

“Sooo, our brave and beautiful adventurers venture out into the open, making their way toward the fountain.” Moca began. “The pool of water beneath the fish statue is very mucky and brown, with lots of leaves and sticks and mud. When you look at the mud, it almost looks like it could be made into yummy buns~!”

“Not this again. We aren’t going to talk about our childhoods again.” Ran looked sternly at Moca, who shrugged. 

“Is the water coming from the fish's mouth clean?” Tsugumi asked. “If it’s a source of clean water, that could be useful!”

“Hmmm. How do you know if it’s clean?” Moca grinned. “Are you going to… taste it? Will Tsugu give the fish a big smooch? I wonder what kind of fun, rare diseases I can find if I look online…”

“Uhmm, no, that’s okay! We can move on!” Tsugumi shyly blushed.

“No, no, it was a good idea. Moca is just messing with us.” Lisa wagged her finger at Moca disapprovingly. “I would like to see if there is something blocking the flow of the water. You said it was just trickling out, right?”

“The gorgeous Lisa approaches the statue, her mere presence causing the fish to blush bright red!” Moca giggled. “You gaze deeeeply into the fish’s mouth, and sure enough, there seems to be some dirt and debris lodged into it!”

“I would like to fish it out with a small stick, and see if I can widen the hole.” Lisa said. Tomoe and Tsugumi could not stop laughing, but both were laughing for completely different reasons. Himari was oblivious to the comment, as she was scribbling something down on her paper. Ran rolled her eyes, slightly disgusted but also fairly amused.

“Tsugu, I’m surprised at you!” Lisa frowned. “Tomoe probably would take what I said in an inappropriate way, but you?”

“Huh?” Tsugumi gasped, and looked horrified. “You said you were going to fish the debris out of the fish's mouth! I thought it was clever… what was inappropriate about that?”

“Suddenly!” Moca shouted, interrupting the conversation before Tsugumi’s poor mind was corrupted any further. “Suddenly, the fish’s mouth begins to move and speak words! It says the following~!”

“The touch will always show  
Which new wall is mine,  
Blind the sun to know   
Where stars always shine.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Ran muttered. “That sounds really stupid.”

“You’re really stupid!” Moca fired back playfully. “The fish’s mouth stops talking and turns back to stone. Water is also now gushing out of its mouth, drenching Lisa in water. It is very cold and has a sweet taste.”

“OH NO SHE DRANK IT!” Tsugumi shouted, panicking heavily. “Don’t worry, Lisa-chan, I’m a Paladin, apparently I can cure one disease a week!

“Uhm, I think the water is probably okay...” Lisa said, chuckling. 

“No! No! She definitely could be diseased~!” Moca said, grinning. “She might even have two!” 

“Moca, quit trying to get Tsugumi to waste one of her powers!” Lisa chided.

Himari closed her eyes very tightly, and balled up her fists until her knuckles became white. “I hug Lisachii very hard to try to keep her warm and dry!” 

The room became dead silent. Tomoe and Tsugumi looked at each other, mouths slightly agape. Lisa looked inquisitively at Himari, who was very tense. Himari sighed, releasing a lot of tension and continued drawing on her paper in the hopes that this embarrassing moment would pass. Ran blushed heavily and started acting deeply interested in her own character sheet. Moca noticed that Lisa was slightly blushing as well, and decided it was time to rustle some more feathers.

“Well, now you’re both wet.” Moca said, breaking the silence and causing Tomoe to nearly fall back in her chair. 

“Let’s just go inside the damn manor already.” Ran said, and Tomoe heartily agreed. “I’ll kick those double doors down! SOIYAAA!”

Moca rolled a few dice, jotting down some notes. “You kick the door off its hinges. So I guess you don’t care about damaging your ‘free real estate’...”

“Whoops.” Tomoe gruffly replied. “Well, let’s go inside.”

“You all pass through the frame of the double doors,” Moca began, “and each of you are surprised to see that the manor appears to be… in pristine condition. Beautiful tapestries adorn the walls, luxurious furniture lines the walls, and two carpeted staircases lead upward to a balcony on the second story. There are three more sets of double doors to the north, east, and west. Of course, there are double doors to the south, which you just passed through~!”

“What?! How?” The group murmured with puzzled looks upon their faces. 

“Everything seems really hazy~!” Moca explained. “Suddenly, the double doors to the west burst open~! Oh noooo~! And a man in plain clothes runs through the room, exiting through the double doors to the east! Another man is chasing after him! He looks really angry, and he’s wearing a black cape and swinging a longsword.”

“Stop! Don’t attack that man, or I’ll have to attack you!” Tsugumi shouted, determined. 

“The great Tsugu’s words seem to fall upon deaf ears...” Moca nodded somberly. “As the second man passes through the eastern door, the hazy feeling that you had dissipates. Suddenly, while you are in the same room, all of the furnishings and tapestries appear damaged and moldy. The railings on the stairs are falling apart, and the tapestries on the walls are really gross~! There is dirt and debris everywhere!”

“What the hell just happened?” Ran asked, confused. “Moca, you aren’t making any sense.”

“Yeah, I’m confused as to what I should be punching.” Tomoe said, a little downtrodden. 

“Let’s follow those two!” Tsugumi said excitedly, and was met with agreement from around the table. “They might know what’s going on!”

“So, you go through the eastern double doors...” Moca began, “and before your eyes, there is an elegant dining hall. Plates along the tables are stacked with many marvelous buns, chocolate milk is in every glass and goblet, and fine rugs and wall hangings add vibrant colors to the stonework. At the far north of this room, there is a raised platform with a single throne. There are three single doors on the eastern wall, and a single door on the western wall. This doesn’t include the double doors you just came through, of course~!”

After taking a short bun break, Moca began again. “Two men fight between the tables, and one is not looking so peaky. The man with the black cape and long sword was about to pull a Maya Tendo and disarm him, but fortunately he was able to dodge the attack. The angry man shouts “YOU BETRAYED ME!”, but clearly was not betrayed as badly as Nana was in Crete, due to his failed attack. The one man escapes out of the northernmost door on the eastern wall, and is pursued by the black-caped man.”

“Uhm, Moca, can you leave out the obscure references?” Tsugumi asked politely. “I don’t quite get them...”

“Please...” Lisa said, tears pouring down her face. “Nana didn’t deserve that...”

“Let’s hurry through that next door! I can’t wait to see that guy lose his arms!” Tomoe shouted excitedly. 

“Wait wait wait, I’m not done!” Moca pouted. “The hazy look that covered everything went away, and the room is left all nasty like the last room. Everything is all broken and moldy and gross. Okay? Now, as you hurry across the room, suddenly, you see creatures scurry out from around broken furniture and lunge at you! They are large and red and look pretty mean. You know that they are fire beetles!”

Initiative!  
Himari- 9  
Fire Beetles- 6

Attack!  
FB1- 9   
FB2- 13 (2d4)= 2 damage  
FB3- 19 (2d4)= 5 damage  
FB4- 20 (2d4)= 2 damage  
FB5- 6  
Himari- 16 (d6+1)=4 damage  
Tomoe- 7  
Lisa- 15  
Tsugumi- 4  
Ran- 10  
“Uh ohhhh...” Moca began, finishing up her rolls. “The fire beetles are very quick, and very well protected. Tomoe takes 2 damage from a fiery bite, and Lisa takes a hefty 5 points of damage. Tsugumi also takes 2 damage. Lisa is looking rather peaky! BUT! Himari, you bring your mace down hard upon the beetle, smashing its guts out! Yay~! It’s pretty dead!”

“Ew...” Himari said, slightly disgusted. “I’ll help Lisa with her beetle now!”

Initiative!  
Tomoe- 7  
Fire Beetles- 2

Attack!  
FB2- 16 (2d4)= 2 damage  
FB3- 15 (2d4)= 6 damage  
FB4- 3  
FB5- 9  
Himari- 13  
Tomoe- 14(+1)  
Lisa- 4  
Tsugumi- 19 (1d8)= 6 damage  
Ran- 10

“Himari almost dies!” Moca said, looking slightly perturbed. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. “She takes 6 points of damage, while Tomoe takes a further two points. Tsugumi lands a vicious blow on her beetle, skewering it with her longsword!”

Initiative!  
Lisa- 9  
Fire Beetles- 7

Attack!  
FB2- 3  
FB3- 8  
FB5- 13 (2d4)= 5 damage  
Himari- 18 (d6+1)= 5 damage  
Tomoe- 3 (+1)  
Lisa- 20 (d6+1)= 3 damage  
Tsugumi- 19 (d8)= 3 damage  
Ran- 5

“Yay~! Lisa and Himari, the tag team duo of unstoppable force, kills the really beefy fire beetle! Ran Takes 5 damage, but Tsugumi returns the favor by dealing three damage to that nasty beetle! There’s only two left!”  
Initiative!  
Tsugumi- 7  
Fire Beetles- 7

Attack!  
Ran- 18 (2d4)= 6 damage  
FB3- 9  
FB5- N/A  
Himari- 10  
Tomoe- 2  
Lisa- 5  
Tsugumi- 18 (D8)= 8 Damage

“Ran and Tsugu deal 14 damage to the poor fire beetle, which is now a dismembered pile of mush!” Moca says reenacting the scene with her hands. “Those of you that are pretty injured could easily back away from the fight without risk of being attacked, by the way. Moca-chan doesn’t want you to die this early!”

“We’re gonna back away and heal each other.” Lisa said, pointing to Himari. “We can’t be dying!”

Initiative!  
Ran- 10  
Fire Beetle- 9

Attack!  
Fire Beetle 3- 4  
Ran- 17 (2d4)= 6 damage  
Tsugumi- 19 (1d8)= 6 damage  
Tomoe- 1

“As Tomoe slips in some of the beetle juice on the floor and lands firmly on her ass, Ran brings her hammer down on top of the fire beetle, crushing its exoskeleton. Tsugumi stabs it with her longsword for good measure. Yay! They have all been defeated!”

“We would like to provide healing for Ran and Tomoe!” Himari said cheerfully.

Healing rolls:  
Himari- 7  
Lisa- 5  
Tomoe- 5  
Ran- 8

“Good job!” Moca smiled cheerfully. “That was a tricky, tricky fight, but hopefully it was fun! Tomoe missed every single time! And you lost initiative every single time! But you killed all the beetles, and none of you died! Yay~!” With these words, Moca ordered for there to be a break for lunch, and everyone munched happily away while discussing what they were going to do next.

Experience!  
Himari- 147  
Tomoe- 59  
Lisa- 119  
Tsugumi- 116  
Ran- 90

**Author's Note:**

> This story is going to have a greek theme, hence the names of the cities and towns being greek. Pylita, which is really Pitchfield in greyhawk, is going to be somewhat like Athens, with a semi-democracy like government. Theodera is also Sulward in greyhawk. Many of the cities will actually be city-states to fit the greek theme.
> 
> Also, I'm changing the goddesses around a little bit so that Tsugumi can be a paladin and Lisa/Himari can be an interesting type of cleric. They can have shortbows (i.e., like cupid), and their main attribute that determines spells is their comeliness (and not wisdom). Just a few fun things that I think Moca would also change as DM!


End file.
